40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Launch to the Moon

Today marks the 40th anniversary of mankind’s famous launch of Apollo 11 which resulted in the first steps on the moon. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11, Charlie Duke of Apollo 16, Al Worden of Apollo 15, Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14, and Walt Cunningham of Apollo 7 were slated to be on hand at the Kennedy Space Center to mark 40 years since Apollo 11’s launch to the moon.

Marking the 40th anniversary of man’s first lunar landing, more than 50 items related to the Apollo 11 mission are to go on the auction block today.

Bonhams New York said many of the articles were acquired directly from the astronauts or were originally in their collections.

Among the highlights from the historic July 20, 1969, mission of Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin is a lunar module landing sequence, three sheets that list “entry commands to enable Lunar Module Eagle to descend from lunar orbit and touch down on the moon’s surface,” Bonhams said.

The lot was estimated to bring $125,000 to $175,000. It is inscribed by Aldrin, who consigned it to the sale.

The auction also contains about 350 additional items from various space missions.

From Apollo 16, is a checklist of sheets mounted to a cuff used by lunar module pilot Charles M. Duke during the second and third explorations of the moon’s surface. It was expected to sell for $200,000 to $300,000.

Some of the sheets are embedded with lunar dust from Duke’s glove during the 1972 flight, Bonhams said.

The checklist was given by Duke to back up Commander Fred Haise, who is selling it to benefit the Infinity Science Center at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The Infinity center is scheduled to open in 2010.